We were really upset and shed more than a tear for Mike.  I was reminded of him this morning listening to part of Haydn’s Creation.  Whilst not a believer, Mike was in wonder of the world with his amazing curiosity for all forms of life and natural history in particular; a boyish enthusiasm that never left him.  I recall him virtually bouncing with glee as  he identified some marine fossils in a marble memorial in South Malling, Lewes where he played the curtal and sang with Sussex Harmony.  

The last time Robin and I saw him was at a socially distanced  lunch in our garden this summer.  He was frail then and unnaturally subdued.  But nature pulled all the stops out for him by providing a cabaret of visual acuity as a sparrow hawk swooped over the hedge,  speared an unsuspecting  blue tit on the bird table and departed with a fresh meal - all in 5 seconds at the most.  The sense of wonder and joy on his face as he said he’d never seen anything like that before is a memory that will live with us for a long time.

And thanks Mike for all the giggles.

Robin and Paula Nicholson